


My Inspiration

by kotodamaxx



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, mainly miqo'te male wol though, shb spoilers ahead, tried to keep it neutral
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-07-08 05:17:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19864132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kotodamaxx/pseuds/kotodamaxx
Summary: They were supposed to just be friends, but G'raha Tia never expected to fall for an adventurer so far and so quickly, and that it would hurt leaving them.





	My Inspiration

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing in many many years, but ShB did things to me and here we are. This is going to take the moment G'raha meets the WOL until the end of ShB, so spoilers in later chapters. I'll try to keep a schedule up on when I post these, so please be patient. It's.. Probably going to be a slow burn. Maybe.

G’raha Tia had been away for longer than he had thought he would be, but finding the aethersand that Rambroes needed in order to even manage to begin their exploration of the Crystal Tower was more important than trying to send any sort of message of his well being to his colleague.

He smirked as he managed to find some of the water-aspected aethersand in Urth’s Gift, “There we go. Now just need the wind-aspected and--” his ears perked up as he heard the territorial grunts of a hog that had been causing problems for the residents of South Shroud.

  
He jumped out of the way as the hog charged at him, while quickly pulling out his bow and arrow, hitting the rancorous beast with ease. Once the hog had fallen down from his injuries, he made sure to secure the aethersand safely on his person and jumped on to the trees. His next location would take him to North Shroud, into the lair of the Ixali.

  
However, before he could be on his way, he saw someone rushing up to his recent kill and examining the hog’s carcass.

  
_Ah, that must be the adventurer Cid Garlond has requested to assist us._ He smirked at the confused look the adventurer made as they examined the hog and couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.

  
“I’m afraid the aethersand you search for has already been claimed by me!” he said from the top of the trees, and couldn’t help but chuckle at the frown the adventurer gave to the foliage as they tried to search for him.

  
“Since I’m feeling generous, I propose a race. The Ixali camp in North Shroud seems to accumulate amounts of the wind aspected aethersand to use for their summonings. Now stop glaring at the foliage, you won’t be able to find me, and let the race begin!” He chuckled at the surprised look the adventurer made, and watched as they teleported away.

  
He would make sure to teleport after them, just giving them enough of a head start as he was confident in his agility and ability to obtain the aethersand should this adventurer prove to fail in their attempt.

  
As he approached where the Ixali kept their aethersand, he made sure to hide as he watched with awe how the adventurer handled themselves in battle. Their movements were precise, not wasting a single attack, and soon the Ixali that had attacked the adventurer were dead on the floor and they had won their little race.

  
“Bravo!” He didn’t want to show himself to the adventurer just yet and thus, remained hidden, “I was so entranced with your battle, I forgot about our little race.”

  
He smiled as he hummed in thought, “Yet, although you won, I feel like I was the one who was awarded a prize from just witnessing this. I will leave the aethersand to the north of here, but please hurry, lest the Dullahans crush it. I promise we will see each other soon.”

  
He was suddenly excited to be able to introduce himself to the adventurer when he returned to Mor Dhona, and made sure to leave the treated aethersand in a place where they would be able to see it easily.

  
He was tempted to follow the adventurer to their destination, curious about such a strong, yet enigmatic individual. He found that he wanted to become close to the adventurer and get to know them better and started crafting a way to make him catch their attention immediately. A normal introduction seemed to be boring to him and the adventurer could just take him as just another person that he would meet. No, he needed something that they would remember him by.

The Warrior of Light was relieved when Cid had asked them to procure materials for some contraption he was making to be able to enter the Crystal Tower. They had been curious about the large tower since first having arrived in the region that was occupied mainly by scholars and adventurer’s like themselves, but rescuing the Scions had been their top priority at the time, and then ensuring that the Ultima Weapon didn’t cause mass destruction to the realm they loved. The Scions had given them leave to attend to other matters after having destroyed the Ultima Weapon, and they were more than happy to now turn their curious gaze to the tower.

  
Procuring the flawless crystals that they needed for their first step didn’t pose any difficult challenge, but it seemed like the aethersand would be more difficult for their rarity. Thankfully, through all of their connections they were able to obtain the earth and fire-aspected aethersand, but after speaking with the master of the markets in Gridania, they were slightly disappointed that they didn’t seem to have any of the water-aspected aethersand for sale, but was grateful when they were pointed into the direction where they might be able to procure some.

  
After making their way to Urth’s Gift, they rushed to where the territorial hog made it dwelling, only to be surprised at finding it dead.

  
“Well… I had expected to be able to get some meat from this as well,” they said with a sigh before inspecting to see if there was any aethersand nearby, before tensing as they heard a voice over their head.

  
Immediately they were ready to jump into battle, in case the man who was speaking to them decided to attack. Experience had taught them to be wary of what disembodied voices told them to do, but at the moment, they were given a clue as to where they could find the other element they were missing.

  
The Warrior of Light quickly made their way to the North Shroud, not wanting to lose the chance to get the ingredients Rambroes and Cid needed, and made their way into the Ixali encampment with ease. Their experience in battle had made them more aware of how to fight with precision without over exerting themselves, and they had a satisfied look as they took hold of their prize. Again, they were surprised to hear the voice over them, and now their wariness was turning into curiosity. Who was this mysterious man that challenged them, and then would freely give them the aethersand they required? What did they mean when they said they would see them soon?

  
The Warrior of Light might be curious by nature, but that in no means meant that they were very smart. After handing the aethersand to Cid, they spoke with Rambroes to keep themselves entertained while waiting for the final preparations. Thankfully it didn’t take long and they looked over as Cid showed them the fangs they were to use to access the entrance to the tower. Soon, they were joined by Biggs and Wedge, and as they discussed what would they have to do, should the Allagan technology found within the tower turn out to be dangerous for the people of the realm, when that familiar voice was heard again.

  
From atop one of the towers in Saint Coinach’s Find, there stood a Miqo’te Seeker of the Sun, with beautiful red hair and plump lips.

  
“So, you return at last. What, pray tell, has kept you so wholly preoccupied that you could not spare a moment to inform me of your progress or preservation?”

  
_Ah, so this is the colleague Rambroes had mentioned_ , the Warrior of Light thought, while looking at both him and the Miqo’te.

  
“Why, the task you assigned to me, of course. Surely you have not forgotten about the aethersand? I tasked a passing adventurer with delivering it. A more capable courier I could not imagine.” The Warrior could hear the playful tone of the man’s voice, and although they felt a little annoyed that they had been made to deliver something for the man, they also found it amusing.

  
They found it surprising when the Miqo’te jumped off from the tower and landed safely on their two feet and then turned to greet them.

  
_Oh, he was right, we did meet again._ They thought and couldn’t help but smile a little. Sometimes they didn’t know whether to take disembodied voices seriously or not.

“I believe an introduction is in order. I am G’raha Tia, one of the Students of Baldesion. I look forward to joining you on your groundbreaking expedition!”

G’raha Tia had been a little nervous when he had climbed on top of the tower to make his grand entrance. He was almost worried that he wouldn’t land on his two feet after jumping down, but he hid it well in his confident and energetic smile as he approached the group he had now dubbed as NOAH. As they made their way to the Eight Sentinels to disable the barriers, G’raha’s eyes kept going to the adventurer’s back. He was excited to see them in action up close, and perhaps by their side.

  
He watched with excitement how, despite having to destroy the sentinels, their path to the entrance of the Labyrinth of the Ancients became closer as they each used an elemental fang. Once the barriers were down, G’raha became ecstatic at the thought of being able to explore with the adventurer near them.

  
However, his hopes were quickly dashed by Cid’s suggestion of letting the adventurer go on their own with their friends. He did understand that he was there to merely observe, and write down their findings for future generations and historians, but the thought of not being able to see the adventurer in combat felt heavy on his mind.

  
“Bah! Do you ever tire of being right, old man!?” He said while trying to contain his pout before turning to the adventurer and explaining to them what would await them, “When you are reasonably certain the maze is secure, contact me via linkshell and we shall join you posthaste—no matter what Master Garlond says!”

  
He let out a relieved sigh as the adventurer nodded and would have to settle for analyzing the ruins of the sentinels while the adventurer called on their friends.

The Warrior of Light could feel G’raha’s eyes on them as they made their way to the sentinels. From what they had learned, the man was a playful character with some eccentricities mixed in. After they had managed to talk face to face, the Warrior’s gaze turned to admire the bright red eye that G’raha possessed. It was a shade of red they had never seen before, and found it to be beautiful, but they made sure not to comment on it, as for most of the time, the eye was covered under G’raha’s hair. Well, the Warrior also wasn’t one to be very talkative either.

  
After destroying the sentinels, they knew what would be expected of them, and what they would have to do, even before Cid made the suggestion to G’raha. They hadn’t expected the Miqo’te to become annoyed at the thought of not being able to join them as they cleared away any dangers within the Labyrinth of the Ancients, but Cid was right, and they and their friends were the only ones capable of entering a place such as this, and making their way out alive.

  
“Don’t worry, G’raha Tia, once everything is safe, I’ll let you know,” the Warrior offered them a small smile before looking at the entrance once again, before turning to make preparations to call on their friends.


End file.
